Ghosts of Panama is a work of narrative nonfiction by Mark Harmon and Leon Carroll Jr. that uncovers the clandestine story behind the 1989 U.S. invasion of Panama. Drawing on extensive research and firsthand interviews with Naval Investigative Service (NIS) agents who lived through the events, the book follows Special Agent Rick Yell, stationed in Panama since 1986 with his wife and infant child.

As the United States' relationship with General Manuel Noriega deteriorates — with President George H.W. Bush declaring the strongman a drug trafficker and a rigger of elections — Yell inadvertently develops a prized intelligence source inside the Noriega regime. Known only as "The Old Man," this source exposes Cuban military movements, identifies anti-American officers within the Panamanian Defense Forces, and tracks Noriega himself. The intelligence gathered by Yell and his NIS colleagues shapes decisions at the highest levels of the CIA, Pentagon, and White House.

The powder keg ignites on December 16, 1989, when a young U.S. Marine is gunned down at a checkpoint in Panama City. Yell's investigation of the murder puts him, his family, and his informants in immediate danger — and its findings move President Bush to authorize the invasion of Panama. Named one of Barnes & Noble's Best History Books of 2024, this hardcover edition is the follow-up to the authors' acclaimed Ghosts of Honolulu.

Mark Harmon starred as Leroy Jethro Gibbs on NCIS for eighteen seasons and also served as executive producer. Leon Carroll Jr. is a retired USMC Major and 20-year NCIS Special Agent, including a tour as Special Agent in Charge in Panama, who later served as the technical advisor for the NCIS television series for twenty seasons.